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After a washout in the first match, West Indies will host Pakistan in the second T20I of four-match series at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Saturday, July 31.
The T20I series between West Indies and Pakistan seems to be getting shorter and shorter. After one fixture getting cancelled due to Covid-19, the match of the series at Barbados was washed out too. The two teams will now head to Guyana for the second encounter.
The first match saw a delayed start due to heavy rain. The match was reduced to 9 overs per side but only one innings could be completed before it was called off. In those nine overs, Pakistan’s bowling attack was all over Windies batters. The hosts reached 85/5 courtesy of a late burst from Kieron Pollard.
The Pakistan T20I team is slowly finding their best combination for the upcoming World T20. This series could be huge for their preparation as they’d want to play their best possible side to gel together. The Babar Azam-led Pakistan lost their last T20I series against England and would be looking to get back to winning ways.
West Indies, on the other hand, are leaving no stone unturned in their T20 World Cup defence preparations and are looking to try out as many options as possible. They have an injury concern as the opener Lendl Simmons was hit on the side of his neck and had to be taken off in the first game.
Key Players
Nicholas Pooran has been touted as one of the best middle order batters in the world. Pooran’s exceptional ability to score at a brisk rate in middle overs sets him apart from the rest of T20 batters. The southpaw went through a rough patch for a while but has looked good since the fourth T20I against Australia. Pooran scored 31 off 18 in the fifth T20I, followed by an unbeaten 59 in the second ODI against the Aussies. In T20 cricket across the globe, Nicholas Pooran has amassed 3353 runs averaging 24 while striking at 142.
Kieron Pollard, the West Indies skipper is known for his extraordinary ability of targeting the right bowlers and moments to go on offense. One of the best power-hitters in the world, Pollard has won his teams countless matches on his own. Some of his last few knocks include 87 off 34 vs CSK, 51 off 25 vs SA and a fifty against Australia in the ODI series. He smashed 22 off 9 balls in the first T20I against Pakistan to take the hosts to a competitive total. Pollard has had a stellar T20 career with nearly 11000 runs at an average of 32 and strike rate of 153.
Hasan Ali, the right arm pacer has an impressive ability of extracting movement off the pitch. Hasan Ali has been an integral part of Pakistan cricket especially in limited overs cricket. He has been in terrific form of late, picking 13 in the PSL 2021 followed by an impressive ODI series against England. Hasan Ali was exceptional in the first game of this series, returning with 2 for 11 in a nine-over innings. The seamer has picked 51 scalps in 38 T20Is at an average of 21.45. Add to that his handy late order hitting and he becomes one of the key players in the side.
Babar Azam is one of the best batters in modern day cricket and possesses an aesthetically pleasing batting style. He’s also one of the most consistent performers in world cricket in recent years. A lot of Pakistan’s batting depends on Babar and he will be a key factor on the difficult tracks in Guyana. He’s coming into the series with form on his side, amassing 554 runs in the PSL 2021 at an average of 69. He followed that up with a career best 139-ball-158 in the third ODI and a 49-ball-85 in the first T20I against England. Babar Azam has 2153 runs to his name in international T20s averaging 47 at a strike rate of 131, including the highest score of 122.
Prediction
Pakistan and West Indies have faced each other on 15 occasions with the former coming on top more often than not. Pakistan have won 11 matches while the Windies have only 3 victories. But with both teams being at full strength, the history might not matter.
Pakistan have a very strong bowling attack with Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali leading the way. Giving Mohammad Wasim Jr some gametime is a great addition. Usman Qadir has held his own and could be a trump card. Their batting, however, is a lot dependent on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
West Indies is a side that’s usually vulnerable to pace but like the first match, they have enough firepower to put good totals on the board more often than not. In the bowling department, they’ve been experimenting a lot and could go into the favour of the visitors. Expect Pakistan to come victorious in the game to take a lead in the series.
